I have been kicking around the idea of chatting in Mando'a in real time with people online, either just in text or by voice. This could be accomplished through any number of free to acquire and free to use software (Skype would be one example).

Pros:- It facilitates for Mando'a practice with a broader population of Mando'a speakers than those that are just local to one's residence.- It can be conveniently scheduled, as adequate facilities and transportation become a moot issue.- Depending upon the software used, quick access to a variety of media (online dictionaries, media files, etc.) would be possible.- Regular usage with others would only help with speaking fluency and listening comprehension, and could assist in transforming Mando'a to a fully 'living' language.

Cons:- Moderation of said Mando'a chat events would have to be someone's responsibility.- Sometimes homes are more disruptive than outside venues.- Sans video, and considering the sometimes questionable audio quality of Internet communication, some nuance in conversation could easily be lost.- It would probably feel very 'weird' at first.- As we exhaust the canonic supply of words, new 'dialect' words would likely come into play and even divergent 'dialects could arise; differences in 'dialect' would have to be mediated so that it fosters language growth and not contentious disagreement.

Possibilities:- It may be nice to start with structured classes, i.e., one meeting focus on basic introductions and questions (Hi, my name is _____. How are you? I am a _____ / I work at _____. I like _____. What do you like?), another meeting focus on interogatives (who, what, where, when, why, how many / much, etc.), yet another meeting on numbers and colors, and so on. It could be like any other language learning class (maybe with a dash of my daughter's elementary school, heh heh).- Challenges and games could be used to further fluency AND make learning Mando'a fun, such as a Mando'a poetry writing and reading contest, or perhaps telling jokes in Mando'a (I might - might - even be talked into learning to sing 'Vod'e An', though my voice singing voice sounds like a sick bantha on its last legs).

So, these are the ideas, hopes, and concerns floating around in my head in regards to participating (or, maybe even hosting) an online Mando'a chat and learning group. If there is interest, I wouldn't mind at all carrying this idea forward. We have a small group of aficionados here already, and I would like to see that grow, as well. This could be one more means to that end, too.

I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and critiques about making this happen, ner vod'e. Vor entye.

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

Vlet Hansen wrote:Give me a time and I'll do everything I can to be there. My schedule is rather insane, but I can still fit in time.I'm very pleased that this board has activity once again!

I am glad to hear you are interested, ner vod! Ni cuyi ori'briikase!

Would it be alright to plan ahead for perhaps after the Christmas holidays? Between now and then, things are quite hectic here, too. Also, this can give us some time to think up what topics we would like to discuss (AND, give ME time to practice up my Mando'a! ).

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

Vlet Hansen wrote:That would work. If not everyone wants to get skype, tinychat is an easy alternative as well.

I have never heard of 'tinychat'; I'll have to look into it, ner vod.

Looking ahead, how do you feel about a very flexible 'agenda', i.e., just some things we can expect to chat about? For example, I was thinking that for our first chat, we could:

- Chat for a few minutes in English just to comfortably get to know one another;- Practice some basic greetings and introductions in Mando'a;- Take a breather to talk in English about things we like about Mando'a and Mando'ade;- Practice interogatives (who, what, where, when, why, how much/many) in Mando'a;- Another breather to ramble about whatever comes to mind and maybe kick around ideas for the next chat;- Practice farewells in Mando'a and finish up.

Is that too structured or rigid? I used to be a teacher, and so sometimes I go into 'class planning' mode even when I am just trying to plan a light, social experience that just so happens to involve some learning, too.

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

Just about anything would work for me.On the scheduling, I should have some free time during the next few weeks, we're supposed to have half days. Not sure if that'll really happen, but still...I wouldn't say it's too rigid, it might be a good start.

As far as accessible a/v web chat technologies, I can recommend Google Hangouts or Skype. Both are free, but both require an account. I've experienced better stability from Hangouts than from Skype, but Hangouts requires a Google account and I know some people don't like Google. I believe Skype still works with dedicated Skype accounts, but it also works with Microsoft accounts (Microsoft Passport, live.com, outlook.com, hotmail.com). My Google Hangouts experience also includes phoning into meetings through it, so I know it supports old fashioned phones as well. I've never tried merging an online meeting with a phone call, though, and I feel like it requires a Google Voice account in order to function, but I'm not really certain. It's also possible to make a Google account using a non-Google email address, thus giving you access to Google services without requiring you to actually use Gmail, for those who don't like it.

Another option is Tinychat, but I've only ever heard of or seen it; I've never used it myself.

Skype needs a downloaded client. Google Hangouts can work from the browser, I believe, as well as from downloaded clients and a Chrome extension. Tinychat is browser-based.

I am certainly open to whatever works best for everyone who wants to try this. But, I am partial to Skype due to familiarity of use. I do know that Skype would allow a quick sharing of links, text messaging while chatting, and even the exchanging of files. All this, as you noted, for free!

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

Vlet Hansen wrote:http://irc.lc/irc.beige-box.com/aliitsolyc/aliit_@@@@a friend of mine is doing a chatroom tonight, 1000 EST.If anyone has the time, we'd love to have you.

I work... Sounds ori'jate, though!

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

I IRC at work all the time. I use two different IM clients for work-related stuff (Skype for our current client, Atlassian HipChat for intra- and inter-office communication), so IRC doesn't look out of place. I guess I'm lucky that way. If you have an Android or iOS phone, you should be able to get an IRC client for it. Though none of them are particularly great, some work well enough. I use AndroIRC, and can vouch for its relative usability, provided you have a stable data/wi-fi connection. Is that an option for you? I suppose it greatly depends on your particular industry. Anything customer-service related would make it difficult to pull off that level of distraction/multitasking...

I'll be there, even if I can't contribute much due to my infrequency of Mando'a study.

Sigh. I have to work, of course. I am thinking of starting Wednesday and Sunday chats following the New Year, however. So.... soon! Details forthcoming.

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

This week has been crazy busy, so I haven't done my Skype chat yet. That said, participating in screenaholic's weekly chat (see: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=63 ) was a lot of fun, even if I had to leave early to wrangle my ad'ise.

Anyway, I still am very much planning to do Mando'a chats - both voice and text. My availability is usually Sundays, Wednesdays, and either waaay middle of the night or mid-mornings most other days. Anyone interested can let me know what times might work best for them, and I can plan accordingly.

Part father, part artist, part perpetual student, part gamer, part Japan-o-phile, part contrarian, part instigator, part anthropologist, part blacksmith, part costumer, part food lover, part writer, part adventurer, part eccentric...AN MANDO'AD!

Are the weekly meetings still happening? I would like to text someone on maybe yahoo or aim, so that I can get some one on one help with the language. I have read over a lot of the forums, but things aren't clicking that well for me. I am always one that learns better by using the language, but I don't know anyone in my area to talk to me in it. Would anyone be willing to chat with me occasionally to help me out? (sorry if this is off topic, i have never used a forum before I am not really sure how it works.) Thank so much!